One of our favourite places for last-minute crafternoons, Collage Collage is full of great projects you can buy off the shelf and do right there at the big centre table.

Local mom Genieve Burley loves to take her daughters there: ‘This is my favourite spot, either to take a class or to browse around their incredible art store with the most beautiful projects, and local books.’

We particularly love the well-curated selection of children’s books to give as gifts, or inspire a little person to make something new.

One of the best things about Collage Collage is their drop-in makes. Check their schedule online, and just show up for some craft time. Buy your supplies right there, and it’s a readymade rainy day activity. Instructors are on hands during drop-in make times to help direct activities, but caregivers do have to stay too.

No clean up!

Mom Michelle Gadd particularly likes not having to clean up after a project, and to get input from new sources. ‘It’s fun to be inspired by other people’s ideas, spaces, and approaches,’ she said after a visit with her daughter.

Collage Collage hosts summer camp crafternoons, as well as regular arts classes throughout the year. Birthday parties are great fun for small groups, with storytime, and then an art class inspired by the book.

The location is great – right down the road from Matchstick Coffee, so there’s extremely good coffee and an incredible double-baked almond croissant to look forward to. If you want to hear more about Collage Collage, check out our podcast with founder Erin Boniferro.

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Erin McGann is the former Managing Editor for Vancouver Mom and Toronto Mom Now. She drinks just a bit too much coffee, is a bit obsessed about sourcing local food, plays the cello moderately well, spends too much time on Twitter, keeps honeybees on a rooftop, and has a thing for single-malt whisky. Erin is working on a novel set in turn-of-the-century Vancouver, which her husband, son and dog have to hear about all the time, and also blogs at Erin at Large.